Saving the galaxy
by Wren07
Summary: Everything seemed quiet until his laptop started buzzing, while Rachel's face popped on his screen. It was a Skype call. Finn didn't know for sure what'd be the best thing to do. Maybe he should have waited another few days – or few years, that awful voice in his head whispered once more – before getting in touch with her.


_To Charlie, my Finchel muse, who made me look at the stars differently._

* * *

**Saving the galaxy**

Finn was lying on his bed, his head sunk in the pillow, a comic book spread open and his laptop beside him.

Kurt had just gone out with Blaine (after bringing some clean clothes in his room with a clear expression of disgust on his face), so he was alone in the house now.

Everything seemed quiet, except him of course.

Rachel's first term in NYADA had started a few weeks before, but he had barely heard from her, as he wanted to give her some time to get used to her new life first. In the meantime, he was still waiting for the Army to contact him – or _not _to contact him – a remote voice in his brain sometimes whispered.

Everything seemed quiet until his laptop started buzzing, while Rachel's face popped on his screen. It was a Skype call. Finn didn't know for sure what'd be the best thing to do. Maybe he should have waited another few days – or few _years_, that awful voice in his head whispered once more – before getting in touch with her.

But as his computer wouldn't stop buzzing, he didn't have the heart not to answer.

As the little window on his screen opened, he saw a smiling Rachel in front of him. However, that wasn't the smile he used to know. It looked quite worn-out, as if made up for the occasion. He realized that his own smile must have looked much more fake, anyway.

The 'Hey', 'Hi', 'How are you doing?' part felt even worse, but they both knew that façade wasn't going to resist long.

« I can't make it without you, Finn, please, it's all wrong » Rachel said all of a sudden, breaking the barrier of space and coldness built between them in those minutes, with nothing but a sort of hysterical laugh.

Then her voice broke and for almost a full minute all that Finn could hear through his headphones was a series of smothered sobs.

He was used to Rachel's emotional breakdowns, which Skype didn't make any less painful to attend.

« It's ok, Rachel, 'course you can make it. You _are making_ it » Finn said softly, in an attempt to calm her down that would have been easier to fulfil if only he could have gently squeezed her shoulder or stroked her hair in the meantime.

« But everything is a mess, Finn, I can't even rehearse, I can't even… »started Rachel.

« Wait a minute, please » Finn interrupted her, trying to cover her voice.

« Didn't you use to tell me that everything about New York was legendary? » he asked, but received no answer, so he carried on. « Isn't New York mess legendary too? I mean, New York mice are, New York traffic jams are, so » That was maybe a poor attempt at cheering Rachel up, but unexpectedly a rough smile appeared on her face.

She opened her mouth, but still no sound came out of it.

Finn took the chance: « Seeing _you_ speechless, this makes _me _speechless ». He weakly laughed, while Rachel curled a lip. That was so _Berryish_.

« You idiot » she muttered, half-smiling.

« The thing is you're legendary, too. Much more than the New-York-Anything » she almost shouted at her laptop.

« But you can't give up on your dreams, Rachel, we've been talking this over ». « Also there's scientific proof you shouldn't » he added, improvising.

« What's that all about now? » Rachel asked. Again, Finn could feel something of her usual tone in that half-irritated, half-amused sentence.

« Well, I was studying Astronomy for the High School final exams, and you know I read this thing about stars… ».

Finn took a pause and then eventually decided to carry on, when he looked into Rachel's teary eyes, for as much as he could.

« I mean, you know you're a star, Rachel, everybody can see it. And as a star, you're alive till you follow your dreams ».

Rachel had started sobbing again, almost in desperation.

« No, wait » Finn begged. « You know what happens when a star dies? It can become a black hole. And a black hole big enough can swallow up us all ».

Rachel couldn't help smiling at Finn's serious face.

« You're a star that big, Rachel, but you won't have us all swallowed up, right? » he asked, still in a very serious tone.

« Right » she muttered.

Then she moved a bit, and Finn could see her room. It actually was a mess, with papers – probably the rehearsal ones – scattered everywhere.

« So now you'll go collect all your papers and rehearse, right? » Finn asked again, still pretending serious.

« Right » Rachel immediately answered. « But I'll be waiting for you. I mean, for my musical at the end of the term and for everything ».

« I know you will » Finn answered, suddenly feeling a heavy weight on his stomach, while thinking about the letter he was waiting for from the Army.

« Ok, Rach, we'd better go now »

« Ok, fine, hum, thank you Finn ».

« Thank _you_, you're saving the galaxy ».

Rachel eventually smiled _her _smile, but that lasted a second, before her face popped out of the screen.

Finn sat there, still staring at his computer, waiting for something to happen, waiting to be brought to her by some magic spell. But that didn't happen. Half an hour later, he was still at home, a week later he was about to leave. Still far from Rachel, but still saving the galaxy.


End file.
